Nakheel's archipelago of five islands across 17 sq.km, aligned to the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. Reclamation is finished, so what is drawn is broadly what gets built. The open question is when, and that is the part I track quarterly rather than repeat from a brochure.
The plan is the why. For the what, see the off-plan homes across the islands selling now.
Numbers match Nakheel's published master plan.
Each island has a defined development concept, and they are not interchangeable. Nakheel's key figures are on the left; my read on each is on the right, including the two I would not put a client into today.
Mixed-use towers, cultural venues, marinas and retail. The deepest market on the archipelago.
Beachfront living with boutique resorts, beach clubs and family villas near the shore. Anchor resort is Rixos.
Wellness-focused with expansive parks, eco-resorts and golf-facing residences in a low-density layout.
Sports-oriented community with golf-front villas, a private country club and a boutique marina village.
Low-density estate villas, private marina access, no commercial zones at all. Built for privacy and long-term holding.
That ratio is the actual product. Nearly 2 million sq.m of parks and 2.27 million sq.m of waterfront edge against 3.9 million sq.m of residential is what separates this from a Deira tower block, and it is why the price gap to the Palm should narrow rather than the other way round.
Golf areas at 1.5 million sq.m sit almost entirely on Islands C and D. If you are buying an apartment on A or B, that number does nothing for you. It is the villa story, not yours.
Green is done or funded. Teal is contracted and dated. Amber is where I would add a year to whatever you have been told. I update this every quarter whether it helps me or not.
Land is formed. What is announced is broadly what gets built, rare in Dubai.
AED 527M to Al Nasr for roads, utilities and marina connections.
Rixos opens on Island A. The first honest test of occupancy and short-let demand.
Ellington Cove, Sea Cliff and the 2027 cohort. Rents become facts instead of projections.
Contracts awarded. I plan for 2028, not 2027. Read the RTA tender papers and you would too.
Serving Deira and the island crossing. The single biggest re-rating event on this list.
Aligned to the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. Treat as a direction of travel, not a delivery date.
The archipelago sits on Dubai's northern coastline, connected to the mainland by the Infinity Bridge with dedicated internal bridges planned by RTA and Nakheel. Heritage Deira on one side, DIFC twenty-five minutes the other.
Drive times today, via Infinity Bridge. Dedicated island bridges and the Metro Blue Line are dated 2027–29.
The full zoned master plan, plus my one-page note on which islands are funded and which are still only drawn. Tell me where to send it and it downloads straight away.
Prefer WhatsApp? Send it to my WhatsApp instead.
